Shop And Donate With Albertons Community Partners Program

Cheryl English and Women’s Resource Center volunteer Pat Glickman pose with a list of barcodes- the key tags that make it possible for supporters to contribute money to local organizations like WRC thanks to Albertson’s Community Partners Program.

Imagine if one percent of the total of weekly routine purchase would benefit your child’s school? Thanks to Albertsons Community Partners program, local non-profit organizations and public and private school programs can benefit from donations with a simple swipe of a key card during checkout at the register.

The program has been supported by Albertsons roughly since 2002-2003. Christine Wilcox, director of public affairs for Albertsons LLC explained, “It is a great program. It is an opportunity for people to earn money for organizations just by doing their shopping.”

The key tags are assigned to the specific organization and can attach to any key chain for easy access. Donating to a local organization like ECHO or school boils down to your preference. At checkout, just simply scan the barcode on the keycard and pay as usual. The key tags are supported in seven states so you may continue to support your community even on your travels. The states are Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas.

The Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO), located at 507 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon, has been involved with the program for approximately eight years and was able to see a major benefit from the partnership.

Stacey Efaw, ECHO executive director, maintained, “It is a good program,” she added, “People just don’t know about it.”

As of late, the program has been gaining momentum. The Women’s Resource Center of Tampa (WRC) is located at 1017 Kingsway Rd. in Brandon. It has been running since 2003, (roughly around the same time as the program), and just signed up this month. “We are just now giving out the cards,” Cheryl English, executive director, said. “It is a great idea, a great way for folks to support the organization.”

For a list of participating local organizations visit the community partners Website at www.albertsonscp.com/ and click the search button at the button of the page. Local organizations can sign up at no cost for key tags. Just log on to the same Website and submit a copy of the IRS determination letter and in four to eight weeks expect your key tags.